Mixed News For Mass. Home Sales

The number of Massachusetts homes put under agreement in March to be sold is down from a year ago, but it’s up sharply from February.

The number of pending home sales last month is up 40 percent from February, a month where the housing market really sagged under the weight of snowy weather. The Massachusetts Association of Realtors said it’s encouraged that better weather in March sparked more activity.

Even so, the number of homes under agreement last month was down 16 percent from the year before. But that’s compared to a time when there was a home-buyer tax credit in effect a year ago that was artificially boosting sales.